


The Wanderer

by Girlaremo



Series: The Ryou Chronicles [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AKA Ryou's Adventures, Essentially it's Ryou fumbling around the universe, Multi, OC Writing, The Ryou Chronicles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-24
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-02-06 04:19:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12809472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Girlaremo/pseuds/Girlaremo
Summary: Taking the first steps to a new adventure isn't easy.  The fear of the unknown is something that strikes true to the heart.  But, when the lives of others are on the lines, sometimes taking a jump is the only thing to do.Ryou Shirogane, captain of 'The Wander' and Garrison dropout, is sent on a long term rescue mission to find four missing students, and his recently disappeared brother, Takashi.  Sent to explore, Ryou is up against the unknowns of the universe, not knowing what may come in his future.  One thing is for certain, though.He isn't getting paid enough for this.





	1. Chapter 1

_Day Two: 1300 Hrs._

_Somewhere near Neptune_  

He had to admit, he was taking it slow.  He knew what the ship was capable of, but he was cautious.   Going at a snail's speed, he was almost three billion miles away from home.  Everything was quiet, and he was currently working on an AI for the ship while recording a log.  "This is Ryou Shirogane of 'The Wander', reporting on day two of the 'Garrison Rescue Mission."   He said lightly, while typing along on the keypad.  "It's about thirteen hundred hours, and it's a nice dark and ominous day outside, partial stars, not too bad."   Looking out the front window, he sighed as Neptune was in view.  "In about a few hours, I'll probably be at Kerberos, and I'll be looking around to see what's left of the wreckage.  I figure most of it'll be just debris."   Knowing most of it probably floated off, it was probably going to be fruitless.  Knowing that much, he figured there wouldn't be much left.  After all, it had been a year.  "I really don't know what's going to be out there, but I'm sure it'll be something interesting."   

Closing the recording, he opened up the AI to work on the first troubleshooting.  "Let's hope you don't gain sentience like every other AI and try to destroy me and my ship."  Powering up the program, a small face popped up in the corner of the wide window.  

"Hello."  The voice was automated, like the old Microsoft Sam voice that he used to mess with when he first got into computers.  "...What is this place?"  

"Well, we're on a ship.  This is my ship, The Wander.  I'm Ryou.  I'm the one who created and booted you up."   Ryou explained, leaning back in the pilot's chair as he watched the little face look confused.  "I don't have a name for you yet, but you've got all the resources to look up anything on the ship."   He was sure that they had scrubbed the programming enough to make sure there wasn't anything malicious or suspicious on board, so hopefully this wouldn't totally backfire.  "I created you so I won't go stir crazy on this little 'adventure' I'm on."   

The AI looked confused.  "Why are you on an adventure?"  

Already going with the deep questions.  "It's a really long story, but I'll give you the short one.  My brother and four students went missing, and I've been sent to rescue and bring them back."  He explained.  

"That makes sense.  How long have they been missing?"  

"Takashi's been gone for...about a year.  The kids, at this point, have been gone for about a month and a half."   This would keep him busy.  He programmed the AI to be inquisitive, almost like a child.  "There's files on the ship if you want to look them over.  I've added a few of my own personal files I brought with me, so you can look through those, too."  Picking himself up, it was about time for mealtime.  He was at least grateful that the gravity generator was working properly, and that he wouldn't have to fumble making his meals and cleaning himself.  

"Accessing local files..."  While the AI did so, Ryou was busy looking over the pre-packaged meals he had been given.  Lots of carb and protein rich foods, along with enough pudding cups to drive a high schooler nuts.  Pulling out one of the packets, he opened it up and started up the warming unit.  "So...from what I've learned, you've been listening to the radio chatter for a year now.  What is this 'Voltron' you've mentioned?" 

"I don't know, that's the thing."   Ryou sighed, popping the parcels into the warmer, watching idly as he spoke.  "I'm hoping to at least figure out what it is.  That and 'quintessence' is another big word that I've heard out there."   Looking back to the AI, it was starting to take on a bit of a personality, it seemed.  Change in face shape, along with a few small details.  "You're already learning, hunh?"

"Only because you made me intelligent and curious."   It replied.  "One of the students that went missing had a brother and a father that went missing on the Kerberos Mission.  Matthew James Holt, and Doctor Samuel Lee Holt.  Did you know of them?"  

"Not personally.  Takashi and Matt were pretty close, and I listened to one of Doctor Holt's lectures on a theory about antimatter."   Pausing for a moment, he rubbed the back of his neck as he watched the warmer.  It'd be a few minutes before it was all done. "I'm pretty sure that Matt and Takashi were dating when launch day came around for them."

"Ah.  I'm also seeing a Keith Kogane in my records.  Do you know about him?" 

"Can't say I do.  All I know is that he was Takashi's mentee."  

"I'll bring you up to speed, then.  Keith Kogane, born October 23, seventeen years of age--Estimated. Parents: None.  Applied for Garrison Sponsorship when fifteen, accepted earlier that year.  Grades were slightly above normal, but was discharged dishonorably after misconduct and bad attitude."  

This was all new news to him. "Jeez..."   He murmured, chewing on his lower lip as he listened.  "Tell me about the other students."  

"As you wish."  Rolling through the data that was supplied, it was evident that only two of them really had ties to Takashi and the Holts.  It almost seemed like the other two just got pulled in.  Kinda like how he did.  But, Ryou ended up being more involved than he ever thought possible.  As his meal finally warmed and he started picking at the hot food pouches, he got back into his chair, pulled out one of the utensils he had been given, and rested his feet on the dashboard.  "Shall I log down that you're eating properly?  It's important that you keep track of what you eat so I can detect if you're catching, as you wrote, 'Cabin Fever'."  

"Go ahead, then.  I've got four ounces of rice, and one of the beef stew packets."   It wasn't the best food he ever had, but it was the best he got so far. Looking at the map he had been following for a while, he was getting closer to Pluto every time he checked.  "...We'll be at Kerberos soon."  

"Would you like me to speed up the ship so that we'll arrive sooner?"  

"Nah.   Just keep the pace we're set at.  I've got to make a few mental preparations to start with."   Ryou said quietly, pursing his lips as he looked down at his food.  "...After this, I might just take a nap.  Wake me up when we're there, alright?"

"Absolutely, Ryou."  The voice was slowly changing to sound a bit more human, and Ryou had noticed it quite quickly.  "Do you still not have any name for me?"  

"Not yet.  I've got a couple in mind if you want to pick your own."   Poking a bit more at his meal, he ended up dumping the meat in with the rice, stirring vigorously.  "Ai--Kinda like Artificial Intelligence, but it's phonetic, Toto...Or Rover."

"I like 'Toto'.  It's very simple."  

"Alright, then.  Toto it is."  Ryou nodded.  "I'll finish this up and then I'll probably get some sleep, alright?"  

"Sounds fine to me."  Toto responded.  "As soon as you're ready, I'll dim the lights and keep watch.  Autopilot is engaged." 

It was easy to say that he didn't feel like he was the only one on the ship anymore.  Even if it wasn't another human being, it was still enough to make him feel at home. "You're too kind, Toto."  Ryou sighed.  It didn't take long to snarf down the rest of the meal, putting the remnants of the food into the trash bin, where it'd be burnt up for fuel later.  Hobbling from his chair to the bed in the back, Ryou sighed and laid back.  "Go ahead and dim the light, Toto.  I'm just gonna lay for a while..."   

'Laying for a while' ended up being taking a nap with a vivid dream laced between peaceful thoughts.  He knew he wouldn't remember most of it, as he was quite aware that he was dreaming.  It was like a wide black lake, and he was walking on top of the water.  Trees and vines dipped down into the water, making ripples along the edges.  As he walked out farther, in the deeper part of the lake, under his feet, there was Takashi.  Pale, floating and almost blue in the lips.

He remembered yelling, dropping to his knees and pawing at the water, but the more he tried, the deeper his ghostly form sank.   In the heat of the moment, he froze.  He could hear the sound of glass cracking.  That sound that it makes, creaking loudly as it tries to support weight.  All at once, the pane that had apparently been holding him up shattered, dropping him into the dark expanse, falling faster and faster until--

Gasping awake, he felt like he had almost hit his mattress from a fall.  Breathing heavily, he sat upright and tried to calm himself, running his hands through his hair.  He was sweating...?  "Jesus..."  Ryou murmured into his hands, covering his face as he still kept trying to calm down.  

"We've reached Pluto, Ryou.  Five minutes until Kerberos."  Toto chimed.  The little AI looked different.   A bit of an oval shaped face, tan skin, hazel eyes, and dark scruffy hair.  In fact... 

"You know, you're starting to look a little like me.  Just...a little off."   Ryou sighed, picking himself up to change out of his clothes, not wanting to stink up his suit too much.  "Not that I don't mind.  After all, you kinda were made to create for yourself.  You're made in the likeness of an actual person..."  

"I thought I looked nice like this."  Then again, Toto was still learning.  Picking up on vocal patterns and the like.  With Ryou being the only one to talk to it, there wouldn't be too much of a change.  "Remember to make sure everything is functioning properly on your suit.  When you're wearing it, I'll see if the pressurizing is alright."  

"Thank you."   Pulling on a fresh white shirt and pants, he sighed and slipped on the suit, making sure to do up all the ties and seals before putting on his helmet and making one last check.  Stepping outside the airlock, he got the air supply, testing the output for a moment. "Alright, putting in oxygen supply tube..."   Hooking it up to a valve from the outside of the suit, he heard the hiss of air pass the airlock on the suit, sighing as cool air hit his chest.

"Everything is fully functional.  No leaks, no loss of pressure.  You're good to start your walk."   Toto commented.  "Arrived at Kerberos, 1600 Hours."

As the outer doors opened, Ryou felt the gravity generator stop for the time being, pulling him out into the open space.  It was...Strange.  He couldn't quite explain how it felt, other than a weightlessness.  Not like falling, not like flying... Floating.  Marveling in the moment, he checked how much line he had, knowing that if anything else failed, there was an emergency air pump somewhere in the suit.  As soon as he got close enough, he could see the wreckage.

Bits of the ship they had used to get to Kerberos were scattered around, suspended like flies stuck in honey.  Research equipment, personal belongings... Glasses hung in midair, clothing untouched by time floated, partially wadded up in the cold vaccum of space.  Ryou could feel his heart slowly sinking into his chest, as he found more familiar things.  Bits of long dead technology, a tablet, a stylus, and one thing that stuck out to him.  A small case, about the size of a lock box, black in color.  The ship's black box!  Customary to have them on the ship, it held all the information any craft could have, stored all in one place.  In case of emergency, the Garrison rigged it to pull all the data from the ship into one place, and to lock immediately so that nobody could access it without a password.  The cameras would probably tell what exactly happened before everything went dark.  Grabbing one of the handles on the side, he propelled himself further with a quick reach around for the pack controls.  

It was still so unreal.  Navigating through the wreckage was like walking a graveyard.  That eerie feeling that someone in the distance is watching, that even when you know there's no life, you're not alone.  "Toto, contact the Garrison and see if they can't get me the password for the black box."

"Right away.  You've got about ten yards of lead left before you'll have to reposition the ship.  Be careful."  

Shaking his head slowly, he kept moving on through, batting away pieces of metal, looking things over for small details.  There were papers, shredded and unreadable, and a crumpled wad.  Putting the black box between his legs, he took the wadded paper and unfurled it, a soft 'aw' passed his lips.  He recognized the faces from the news.  Doctor Holt, his son, and daughter. In the background, the shuttle that launched them out loomed, not knowing that it was a beacon of ill fate.  Sighing lightly, he folded over the photo and stuck it in one of the exterior pockets, zipping that up before moving along.  

 

"Should have brought a knapsack...There's plenty of parts I could mess with if I have the time..."   He murmured.  From where he was, he could see the last of the remnants of the ship.  "...Would that be considered grave robbing...?"  Nobody died here, that he knew of, but the question of ethics was still at hand.  Deciding against it, he looked over what he could see of the small moon's surface, and decided that there wasn't anything left to look at.  "Alright, Toto.  Black box has been recovered.  We'll get this unlocked and look over the footage."   Ryou sighed, making his way back to the ship.  

"Sounds like a plan."  Toto chimed in response, pausing for a moment.  "Garrison messaged back.  Password for the box is as follows.  Oscar Delta Delta 0 Zulu 7 7 3 Alpha.  Second lock is...Password."

"It's like nobody thought anyone would be back in."   Ryou propelled himself back to the airlock, the sound of the tubing retracting back in his ears.  For a moment, he lingered, looking around at the wide and dark expanse.  Pursing his lips, he shook his head.  "Make sure to scan the area and make sure we're the only ones out here.  At any sign of other ships or lifeforms, tell me immediately."   

"Right away."  

There'd be a brief decontamination process as he re-entered, and he emptied his pocket to make sure the photo got sealed up properly in a sort of laminated card as to not destroy the plastic-y paper.  But, soon enough, he was back in the cockpit, hooking up wires from the ship to the black box.  "This should make its way back to the Garrison computers rather nicely..."  He murmured, plunking in a couple passwords.  Soon enough, the startup menu booted up, like an old Windows computer.  "...It's a start."

On the screen, there were four options. >SYSTEM >FILES >HELP >INFO.  There was something else at the bottom of the screen, so nudging down the commands, he hit the bottom command.  >?  He'd have to look at that one later.  For the time being, he went back up to files, leading to another menu.  

>ABOUT >VIDEO FEED 

There were a few more loops to navigate, bumming around in circles before he decided to watch what was going on.  "It's only a few months of video feed.  It'll be easy."   Ryou huffed lightly, looking at the camera feed logs before shaking his head.  "Alright, we can narrow down the external cameras for the first few months, there won't be much.  You look through those and look for any of the anomalies that I've started you off with.  If anything comes up, show me and I'll see if it's something or nothing.  I'll handle the inside feed."   

"Sounds great."  

Starting out with the first launch day, it was odd to be watching something like this as if it were a television show.  At some points, he skipped forward, watching the three of them mill across the screen, sleep, pace, eat, laugh.  Repeat and try again.  Sometimes it was different, sometimes it was the same.  Pausing at one moment, the dim light from the front console illuminated two shapes in the dark of the common area, slowly dancing back and forth.  He could recognize the soft and hazy sound of humming, distorted over the microphone, but it was Takashi, none the less.  

_'As soon as we get back, I can't wait to tell them.'_  

_'You could always just say something now, you know.  I'm sure Iverson would greet us with champagne.'_  Takashi resumed humming, and as they slowly turned, Ryou could make out the silhouette of the two with their foreheads pressed together.  

Huffing loudly, Ryou trudged on, skipping around a few other spots that were a bit mushy and sweet, before Toto popped up with the blurry image of something on the external cameras.  "Anomaly detected.  Any ideas?"  The still image seemed to be the faint outline of something, although it was dark and there didn't seem to be any light coming from anywhere to show what it was.  

"When was this still image taken from?"

"Approximately three days before the accident.  It looks nothing like what I've got to compare it with."

"I know, that's why it's an anomaly."  Ryou tried messing with the image before tilting his head back and looking at it.  "Keep looking through.  Maybe we'll find something like it."

"Anomaly detected.  It looks similar to the previous image."  

The second image was clearer.  Looking at the time stamp, it was the day they lost contact with the team.  "What the hell is that?"  It looked like a massive ship.  It was like nothing he had ever seen before.  Not only was it bigger than any warship he had ever seen, and living where he had for the past year, he had seen plenty of ships coming in and out of the harbors.

"It seems to be a ship of some kind.  Given the size and proportion, it's not one of our own."  Toto hummed, the little emotive face seemed to 'shrug'.  "Perhaps maybe this is what Takashi was talking about."  

"Care to explain?"  Ryou asked, furrowing his brows.  Toto pulled up a video clip of when Takashi was being brought in for questioning.  He looked terrified, pale, and just...Not like what he remembered.  He was trying to say something about aliens, a race called the 'Galra', and how they were merciless and bloodthirsty.   It made sense--Especially when they had been abducted and Takashi was so...different and rougher looking.  "Alright, go ahead and send all this new information back to the Garrison.  I don't know how we're gonna find out more about these things, so..."   He paused for a minute, looking past the expanse of the moon in front of him.  

What was out there?  If he stepped past his own solar system, what monsters lay out there?  Would he get swallowed up and spat out like Takashi?  He'd probably die before he went through what his brother did.  He wasn't as strong and stubborn as him, nor did he actually have the experience he did--After all, he had actually been trained in martial arts and combat.  Sighing heavily, he ran his hands through his hair, trying to think.  "I signed up for this to explore.  I'm at the edge of our universe, and I'm hesitating."  

"Are you afraid?"  

"I mean, a little.  I don't know what's out there."   It was like that feeling before jumping off the roof the first and last time.  He knew that if he jumped, he wouldn't be able to go back up and redo it.  It was like that, but on a bigger scale.  "If I leave now, there's not telling when I'll be back.  I can't go home, I promised to find everyone..."  The pressure to not fail was starting to affect him, making his chest tight.  It was pushing him to move forward, but he was digging his heels into the ground.  

"Isn't that the point of exploring?  To learn and discover?"  

"I'm starting to regret making you smart already."   Ryou murmured, shaking his head as he released his follicles.  "If I go now, I can't go back."  

"You've got to go at some point.  Staying here and worrying about what may happen won't help."  Ryou looked at the screen, pursing his lips at what he saw.   On the screen, there was the first video footage of the three before him.  Matt's face was scrunched up as soon as they started gunning for the atmosphere, and Sam had his eyes closed the whole time.  Takashi looked like he knew what he was doing, but Ryou knew better.  He was probably talking himself through the layers of the atmosphere.  "Every explorer was most likely afraid on their first voyage.  A fear of the unknown is very valid."

Again, the AI was right.  Picking himself up from the chair, he started pacing the length of the ship, his hands folded behind his head as he walked.  "I really regret making you smart."

"I'm just doing what you programmed me to do.  You knew talking to you like this would make you more apt to act upon things."  Toto shrugged again, pulling up another video.  "I've found some hidden files under the >? command.  I think you should see this."

A video came up on the screen, and there was a sheet of paper with a hand written message on it.  'COMING HOME'.  The paper pulled back, and there sat Takashi.  "Hey, thought I'd record this to send to you when we're all done with this--I'll probably be in quarantine for a day or two after returning home, but you'd better get ready to see me on your doorstep."   Takashi grinned, glancing back at Matt and Sam.  "Plus, I got some news to share with you all.  I think you'll be pretty happy to hear it."   In the background, Matt said something, making the elder Shirogane turn around for a moment.  "I'd better go, be safe, and tell Ryou the news, and I'll be home soon.  I'll call as soon as I've got all my things back.  I can't wait to see you guys."  

"...This feels like blackmail."   Ryou frowned.  

"Even so, there's more footage.  We could spend all day watching the Kerberos Crew socialize, or we could do as your mission states and explore.  You're going to have to take the leap at some point, so why not now?"  Toto offered.  It was right, though.  Ryou went back to the controls, sighing heavily as he started plinking away at the keyboard.  "Would you like for me to start scanning our surroundings?"

"Yep.  Keep a steady speed, continue auto pilot until a confrontation or manual operation is needed."  Ryou sighed.  "Mark this down.  Eighteen hundred hours.  Leaving Kerberos, proceeding with extreme caution."  

"As you wish."  The front screen started marking down the distance from their solar system, logging the next closest planets that Earth knew of.  Even still, it was like jumping from the roof, as he had thought before.  But this time, he had a means to make sure he didn't fall too hard and break anything.  He wasn't the first explorer that left their part of the solar system, and he wasn't the last.  But, there were two things he was sure of.  One, this was terrifying, Two, making a name didn't matter now.  Even if he did find others outside of their system, they wouldn't know him from any other alien.  

 

At least, that's what he thought.


	2. Chapter 2

Day Twelve 21:50

Location: ???

 

It was hard to count how many light years he was away from Earth.  The exponents were moving too fast to really count them, but he was quite far away from where they had calibrated the Earth to be.  Even still, it was still usually the same routine, just different days and different ways.  Wake up, eat, work on Toto, maintainence on the ship, check the radar, nap, do physical workout for his own sake, work on other things on the ship, send a report back to the Garrison, and wait until sleep hit. 

 

In all honesty, it was starting to mess with his sanity a bit.  To know that he was only twelve days out really took a toll.  There wasn't anything to do.  Same thing, in and out, day to day.  Pursing his lips as he took in a deep breath and stretched out on the floor, he let it out, looking at the phone he had.  "It's only been two weeks, and I'm just...I'm doing yoga of all things."  

 

"A healthy mind is a good thing.  Meditation and yoga is good for you."  Toto chimed in.  He had taken on a bit more personality over the two weeks he had been around.  He looked more like a cousin to Ryou now, adopting more of the islander look like his father had.  In all honesty, he almost did look like a young Makoto.  "Not to mention, if you keep your mind busy enough, you'll feel better."  

 

"Yeah, but socialization is a good thing, too."  Shifting his weight, he slowly brought his head down to the mat he had rolled out, moving so that his feet were in the air, albeit bent a bit, and he was doing a headstand.  Grunting and groaning as he held the position, he could feel his face turning red, and his metal dog tags hit his face and hung around his neck.  "Any signs of other ships out here?"  

 

"We might have passed a telescope that's out of commission.  The scan identified it as 'The Hubble III.V'."  Toto gave a bit of a scoff.  "It's appeared to have stopped, which is odd."  

 

"Potential interference, maybe?  Or it bumped into something...?"   Ryou asked, offering up a couple ideas as he brought himself into downward dog again, stretching out his back with a light groan.  "Or someone stopped it."  

 

"With what we've gathered, it's absolutely possible.  There's obviously life out here, and they've had a good bout with the crew of the Kerberos Mission."   Dry humor?  That wasn't new, was it?  After all, Toto picked up things like that from Ryou.  Sooner or later, he'd be talking to himself--literally.  "Sorry, that was dark, and of foul humor."

 

"Don't worry about it."   Ryou sighed, finally pulling himself upright with a light sigh.  At least he was doing something.  "With the lack of anything happening, do you think we should make a jump or something?" 

 

"I wouldn't advise doing that.  After all, you don't know what's out here, and I have even less of an idea of what's out here."  Toto had a point.  But if he kept on going slow like this, it'd drive him up the wall.  "You're thinking about it, aren't you?" 

 

To say he wasn't was a lie, and even Toto knew it.  The AI squinted at him, and Ryou could only look back at the computer screen.  "There's nothing here.  Each day, they're getting farther and farther away from us, and we've got less of a chance to find them all."   

 

"Yes, sure, but you're also potentially throwing yourself into some sort of potential problem, or a hazardous situation.  Not to mention, nobody knows if the hyper-jump works or not.  You could risk everything making a jump."   Still, even as Toto advised against it, Ryou pursed his lips and looked at his space suit, then at the red  pull lever.  "Ryou, I advise strongly against this."  

 

"I didn't know I forgot a sense of adventure."  Ryou retorted, making a dash for his space suit while Toto aggressively slid the Captain's chair back and forth in distress.  

 

"You gave me curiosity, and that's your own fault!  I'm supposed to be your inhibition!  Your conscience!"  Toto remarked, watching helplessly as Ryou suited up and prepared for the worst that might happen.  "The worst case scenario, it fails, your ship explodes, you're dead and stranded in space."  

 

"I've got nothing to lose as is.  Technically, when I stop sending messages back to the Garrison, I'm one case of Schroedinger's Spaceman."  He snapped back, putting the helmet on, wincing as it hissed loudly as the oxygen pack released.  Locking the captain's chair into place, he sat himself down and strapped in, lifting the plastic cover for the hyper drive.  "Alright.... twenty two hundred hours, Ryou Shirogane speaking.  Activating the hyper drive in three....two.....one!"   A quick pull and turn brought up an untranslated warning message, and the lights dimmed slightly as the engines reared to life.  

 

Ryou almost didn't hear the slam of the drive as he pushed it back in, but he could feel the force of being pressed back into his seat as the ship lurched forward.  It almost got to the point where it hurt, and he swore he could feel his spine make contact with his ribs, and vice versa.   Trying to pry his eyes open, the last thing he saw was bright light blinding his eyes, and the feeling of the ship rattling around him.  

 

Then, everything faded out.

 

... - .- -.  | .-- .. - .... | -- .

 

Day/Time: ???? 

Location: ????

 

There was a loud ringing in his ears when he woke.  It was drowning out anything else that was being said, and there were things going on outside of what he was hearing.  His eyes opened first, hazy and unfocused.  It was already turning out to be a great time, and from what he could tell, everything around him was dark.  The ship was dim, and a few things were beeping at him.  Toto was offline, and he'd probably have to be rebooted manually. 

 

There was structural damage to the ship.  Debris hitting the ship to start with, and then bigger space rocks that had dented the exterior.  Well, at least the exterior that the Garrison had put on.  It was cosmetic, and it'd still run.  There was a countdown of how long it would take before the hyperdrive  would be ready to use again.  Groaning lightly, he moved himself in his chair a bit, looking behind him at the items that were strewn out across the floor.  The gravity pump was still working...Thank God.  Looking forward again, he tried to reboot the system so that it could tell him when and where he was, how much time had passed, and how far from Earth he was.  All he knew now was that he was in too deep, and he just needed to stay calm.   Deep breath in, deep breath out, but slowly.  "Guess this thing wasn't made for a jump, hunh?"   Ryou muttered to himself, making a quick check of the air quality.  It'd be fine for now, but there was a bit of a problem with the air filter.  That just meant that he'd be using his suit for a while, just as a precautionary measure.  

 

Plinking in figures, he brought the lights up a bit, booted Toto up, and let the AI slowly come to.  Slowly, the lights grew brighter, but then failed again.  The ship was disabled.  How?  He was stranded now, wasn't he?  Pursing his lips, he tried to work around the problem, looking over the lines of error messages as he tried his damnedest to get the ship powered up until he realized: There were no stars in front of him.  All it was in front of him was black, inky darkness.  Something was wrong. Something wasn't right.  

 

Pulling himself out of his seat belts, he shuffled out and leaned over the console.  Nothing.  He couldn't activate any sort of night vision, nothing.  When creaking and groaning sounds surrounded him, panic started to overwhelm him, skittering to grab weapons as the small ship opened up slowly.  The only thing he could grab in the dim light was a gun that he had been offered, and a knife.  He didn't know how well it would work on whatever was out there.  

 

He didn't know why his heart was pounding.  He knew he was in foreign territory, and that he was far, far from home.  What should he expect?   From Takashi, he knew that there were beings out here that weren't the kindest.  But...He couldn't bring himself to move when the ship was torn open.   What was being spoke in front of him was something he didn't understand.  It was like watching a cartoon with mismatched words, where the sounds didn't seem to match up with the lips.  Except, there were no lips to sync up to.  Only illuminated masks with wide staring orbs for eyes, and markings on the smooth faces.  

 

He was shaking.  He was holding his breath.  Fear overwhelmed him and it finally came down to it that his lungs were burning.  There was beeping from the suit, there wasn't enough oxygen being used to be healthy.  It all came crashing down when he felt a wave of dizziness wash over him and he found himself staring at the ceiling as things darkness invaded the edges of his vision.  

 

\--- ..- - | -.-. --- .-.. -..

 

From what Moro could see, the ship had been subjected to high temperatures.  Nothing should have survived in the small escape pod, especially since it looked like it had been modified by someone else.  Someone very, very low tech.  All the outside parts had sealed it, that was for sure.  The little pod had been floating around the masked off base for a day or so, and the documentation on it wasn't easy to read, but none the less, they were able to decode the text on the outside of the ship.  Nobody had expected anything to be in the ship.  

 

Still, when they had pried back the melted external components, to see something in the cockpit, a living being of all things, it was simply impossible.  "My heavens..."   One of his men murmured, eyes wide with shock as all three of them stared at the being.  "Moro...Moro, what is that?"  

 

He hadn't seen anything like it in a long time.  It was smaller than any Galra he had ever seen, and it was shaking.  Some primitive weapon in its hand and another at its side.  Still, there were fabled words of a race that lived past their own galaxy, and this must have been one of them.  Either way, there was a lot to scrub from the ship.  "Take it to the medical wing.  D'Yarro and I will check over the ship and see what's all here."  

 

The being didn't seem to be injured, other than the fact that it hadn't been moving.  Then again, they didn't have a good look at its face.  Looking in the dark of the cabin, the last of the power was slowly moving through the place.  There was a bed, food storage, an airlock, as most ships had, but this was more like a tiny living space.  Moro stepped in over broken material and glass, looking for a moment at the photos on the dashboard.  One of two boys, each with the same face, and three more of varying ages.  There looked to be memory storage devices in the ship, and a quick poke of the console, those were expelled and ready to take.  

 

"Everything seems all clear here.  There's nothing of interest.  Whatever they are, they don't seem hostile."   D'Yarro picked up one of the guns.  The safety was on, so there was no chance of an accidental discharge.  "These are so low tech...I bet Mink could even pull combustion powder out of these."  The knives themselves were made out of some organic material, and even the food was organic--it came from somewhere.  

 

"Maybe when they wake up, we can ask where they came from and what they're doing."   Moro looked over the bedding, frowning widely under his mask.  On the wall, there were hand written notes hung up with bits of paper and adhesive strips.  The letters were another old language, something probably adapted from Altean.  It wouldn't surprise them if somehow they got to somewhere else and inspired a race from their own intelligence.  "I have a feeling that they don't mean any harm.  Look at the data given off the pod and run that through our systems.  Maybe we can reverse engineer their language to ours so we can jump the language barrier."  

 

Looking more and more into the ship, it was evident that the being piloting the craft wasn't a danger to anyone.  They must have been an explorer, looking for people.  Maybe...just maybe, they were looking for someone in particular.  Glancing back at the photos on the dashboard, he remembered refugees that had escaped the prison camps said that there were a couple that claimed to be from past Kerberos.  Maybe this was another one.  Time would only tell, though.  With the apparent stress on the small explorer, it might be a while before they wake up.  

 

"At least we were the ones who found him first, right?  Only the gods would know what would become of them if the empire got a hold of them."   D'Yarro murmured, looking through the other personal belongings of the ship.  He was one of the few that made it out of the gladiator ring.  He had missed the coming of the one rumored to be the 'Champion', and told Ulaz that there were more that needed help before he left.  Honestly, Ulaz was a savior for quite a few who wanted out.   How he managed to stay under the radar was beyond D'Yarro.  

 

Clicking off the mask that he wore, Moro sighed heavily.  Golden eyes peeked out from under the dark fabric of his hood, eventually pulling that down to let down a few braids that tied back silvery hair.  Pointed ears like that of traditional Galra and markings along his face gave hints to a very mixed race, indeed.  D'Yarro on the other hand was more so that of a Southern Desert Galra--More fur, darker coloring, no scales, and wide ears like that of a few generals they knew of.  The only difference with him were a few stripes of longer hair that grew on top of his head and the sides of his face, giving the look of mutton chops.  A silvery white scar was visible on his jaw, and another that took a chunk out of his ear, showcasing part of what he gained from the gladiator pit.      

 

"Indeed..."  Moro looked back to the other, giving a tired look.  "We'll most likely drag this back to the scrap heap.  It's not going to be of any use to the explorer, or us.  We can always take bits we need."  

 

"Good idea.  We could at least save the bedding, rations, personal belongings..."   D'Yarro rattled off, following after Moro with another tired sound.  "...Maybe we'll find out why our little guest strayed so far from their home.  It's pretty evident that they weren't prepared for a long voyage."  

 

"Oh?"  

 

"Yeah.  The rations wouldn't have lasted long enough.  Not to mention, the fact that there was hardly any weaponry on such a small ship.  It was more like their race was sending them out to die."   

 

"Maybe so..."  Moro replied, striding along with his partner.  "It's hard telling as to why they're here.  The better news is that they're with us.  At least the empire doesn't have a hold on them.  Nobody deserves a fate with them."

 

Meanwhile, with the 'explorer' down and out, a couple of quick assessments were carried out.  Oxygen was in their lungs, and the breathing system was just about the same as some other oxygen-breathing organisms out there.  So, that was a plus.  Carefully stripping off the space suit that they wore, it was very obvious that this traveler wasn't from around here.  

 

"It's....so small..."   One of the blade members said quietly, looking at the traveler in slight awe.  "I've never seen anything like it..."  

 

The other was running through the data of the ship, extracting language files and the like.  "There's a lot of programming that overrode the escape capsule's original programming... This is honestly amazing... Whatever race they are, they've got to be at least halfway decent..."   

 

"Then again, they sent him into deep space in a souped up tin can, Mink."   Peeling off the rest of the suit and looking for injuries, Fir, the medic of the group, tried to heal their guest the best she could.  "...This one's lucky they're not dead.  Bones surrounding the vital organs are fractured.  There's a few more that are bruised due to pressure.  The ship they 'upgraded' wasn't meant for jumps like that.  Especially the way they made it."   Fir started pulling away fabric and went to press her hands to the being's skin, a bit clammy, but still warm.  

 

Compared to the being in their care, Fir probably didn't look like their race by any means.  Maybe by the similar texture of skin they had, but that was it.  In human terms, Fir looked like a anthropomorphic Sphinx cat, with her ears pulled back with a wrap around her head.  Delicate fingers were more like human hands, with retractable claws where fingernails might have been.  

 

Mink was the one that looked more human.  Half Galra, half Mikkori, their ears were a bit longer and pointed, and there were a pair of dots--one below each slightly droopy eye.  It didn't help that they wore copious khol liner, or that there wasn't much hair to frame their face, but looks aside, they were the best techie and pilot the Marmorans had.  "I'm jotting down injuries and stats on this dude.  Whatcha got besides the fractures and bruising?"

 

"No sign of dermal ID tags, there's scarring on an arm...Non combative, I'm assuming...Another by the eyebrow on the right side..."   She replied, carding a hand through thick black hair.  "...No other abnormalities on the outside, as far as I can see.  I think...this might be a human.  I haven't seen this far out since...Well, Yuu."  To her, he looked different.  Not quite the same, but different.  Same dark hair, but Yuu had more of a square face, while this one was a bit pudgy and baby-ish.  Not to mention, Yuu went off with Oso... 

 

"Alright...Might as well get this guy set up so he'll hopefully wake up.  A quick scan and we'll probably see what's going on."   Mink said, turning back around to look at Fir.  "...I know what you're thinking, and stop.  They're gone, and they took that thing with them.  That was pheebes ago."

 

"You're right..."  Pulling down the medical device, it looked like a light from the dentist's office.  Starting at the top of the head, she slowly moved down, watching as the information came up on the screen.  "Brain function is fine, oxygen is alright..."   She murmured.  "There's more bruising, but it doesn't seem too bad.  There's no hemorrhages or blood clots to report."  

 

"He's lucky, then."   A quick look at the chart, and Mink frowned at one of the 'little' details on the scan.  "Humans are weird."

 

... .- ..-. . / .- -. -.. / ... --- ..- -. -..

 

Flashes of what he vaguely remembered from before flashed behind his eyelids.  Faces.  Bright faces with pale lights, deep blues and navy colors.  Almost black.  It looked like a sterile place.  Cold.  He couldn't breathe.  As his eyes moved and the pain in his chest started rolling around, he couldn't help but to softly groan, furrowing his brows as he tried moving.  There was a warm something around him, soft... The pillow behind his head, and the soft clink of metal on metal. 

 

Wait.  

 

Opening his eyes slowly, his surroundings were unfamiliar.  There were wide windows, and from where he was laying, he could vaguely see the outlines of other planets in the distance.  They were unfamiliar to him, as they should be.  He was a long way from home.  The interior itself was wide and grey, like it was cut out of stone.  Was this a cave?  An asteroid?  Wherever he was, someone, or something had made a home there, and Ryou was stuck to a pipe via what could easily be described as a handcuff.  At least the bed mat under him was nice, though.  

 

There wasn't anyone there to greet him, but he could see what looked like a sentry in the corner.  The mechanical eye of the machine flickered as the camera lens picked up on his movement.  He didn't know what to do.  He didn't know if he should speak, or if whatever was out there would understand him--It wasn't briefed to him what he should do.  He had gotten caught up by something, and now he was just like Takashi, wasn't he?  "Fuck."  Slapping a hand to his forehead, he shuffled to move, regretting the skin to skin contact soon after.  Grumbling a bit, he looked at the cuff, trying to see if there was a weak point.  So far, nothing.  But, where the handcuff probably wasn't breaking, maybe the piping was.  Looking up, there were a couple places where there might be a welded spot.  Hopefully nothing important was running through it.  It wasn't hot, and there weren't too many sounds coming from it, so it wasn't gas or water.  But, he needed leverage.  

 

He couldn't go too far, so that was a limit he had to test.  He could at lest reach a few feet if he slid the side where the piping was if he lowered himself, and there weren't too many things around.  It looked like some of his personal items were across the room, and from what he could see, it was just his suit and clothing.  Giving a huff, he decided to try a couple things.  Shaking one of the sheets from the bedding, he threaded one corner through and dragged it so that he'd have a handle on the end, and gave enough room to be able to grab it with his left hand, and then braced his feet against the wall.  In theory, maybe the pipe would break, or the handcuff would.  Either would work.  

 

Working his feet to where he could get a good pull, he straightened out his knees and pulled on the sheet.  As he thought, the sheet took tension off the part around his wrist, and while the part that connected the two didn't budge, the pipe started to groan and dent a bit.  A chorus of 'yes' hissed through his teeth as his muscles ached and his back strained, and suddenly, the metal snapped, and he was on his back with the handcuff free, and the empty pipe bent .  Tugging the fabric out of the loose end, he wiggled it around a bit, figuring he could probably live with his new bracelet.  

 

Picking himself up off the floor and looking for anything out of the ordinary as he scuttled to his things, there only seemed to be personal items and a couple of the food rations.  Shit.  No weapons.  Glancing back to the twisted metal, he tugged a bit more and tried bending at the weld line, finding that it snapped off in the same manner as the other end.  About the length of one of his legs, he had some weaponry to work with.  Then, there was the question of the sentry in the corner.  Slowly approaching that, he watched the little eye of the camera flicker again.  It was looking at him.  

 

"I don't mean any trouble here.  I'm not hostile, but I can use force if it means I can leave."  He said firmly.  Man, he hoped that someone was listening on the other end.  Picking up and looking around, nothing seemed strange.  There were no moving panels for secret weapons, no other cameras... There wasn't even a door that he could see.  "...Hello?"  

 

And, as the common phrase repeated itself, Ryou found himself uttering a soft word of distress.  "Fuck." 


	3. Chapter 3

The fact that there wasn't anyone responding to his 'Liam Neeson'-like threat to use force wasn't all that upsetting.  Ryou knew that he wasn't the most terrifying person in this part of the galaxy, for sure.  Even he cursed his slight baby face when he started pacing along with the metal pipe (still connected to the handcuff, mind you) in hand, dragging along the floor.  

 

The doors wouldn't work, his communicator was dead, and there wasn't really any way to look into the data system of the place he was in.  Tilting his head back as he paced, the sentry in the corner was still watching him, the eye of the camera following him with a soft whirring.  At one point, he stopped, staring at the machine for a moment.  There had to be someone watching, right?  They wouldn't just put that there for no reason, right?  Coming a bit closer to the machine, he narrowed his eyes and stared for a moment.  There was only so much he could do for the time being, but he could try and take apart the machine.  Crouching down in front of it, he felt around for any seams in the metal, finally catching on something that looked to be an entry point.  "Bingo."  Pulling it open was easy.  Finding the power source was not.  

 

There was a mess of wiring and what looked like ceramic insulators, making sure that it ran efficiently and without too many rubber parts.  If he didn't want to get shocked, he might not want to touch anything without thinking about it first.  Pursing his lips, he drew in a breath and reached in, feeling around for anything that might disable the sentry.  He was trying to think up a plan for the time being on the fly.  Take out the sentry, wait until people come to check on it, ambush, and quickly leave.  Yeah, that was feasible, right?  Feeling around, he nudged past insulated wires, looking for something that felt like a motherboard or something else that seemed important before pulling back quickly, letting loose a barrage of sparks.  And, just as he thought, the machine sputtered a bit and flickered off.  

 

Moving from the disabled sentry to the pile of his things, he picked through and tried to look for anything else he could have missed.  Nope, just the supplies, a change of clothes and his personal items.  At least they were smart enough to know it wasn't trash...  But as soon as he was looking for answers, an answer found him in the form of a door that was previously concealed opening suddenly.  

 

There wasn't anyone behind the door, no people waiting to ambush him to drag him back or bludgeon him to a bloody pulp.  Nope, just pale lavender lights and a gunmetal-colored wall beyond that.  Readjusting the piping in his hands, he held it at the ready like a baseball bat, hunched down so that he might be able to have the advantage.  Sure, he knew whatever was out there could be potentially bigger and stronger, but he figured that he may as well give it a shot.  But, his eyebrows shot up at what he saw next.  

 

"Takashi?"  In an instant, he dropped the pipe and let the end clatter to the floor, hanging from the cinched end of the cuffs.  He couldn't believe it.  He didn't want to believe it.  Right in front of him, plain as day, with the missing Garrison students.  Katie Holt, Lance McLain, Hunk Garret, and Keith Kogane, all as their ID photos on file showed them.  Takashi was the same as he remembered, wearing the strange clothing that he had come with when he left that dent in the desert.  A bit mismatched, but otherwise there.  

 

The students and their 'guardian' turned to look at Ryou, quiet and a bit confused looking.  Takashi was the first to speak, mirroring the confused and perceptive expression his brother was making.  "Ryou...How did you get out here?  When did you get out here?"   He looked so different, but all the same.  Same eyes, a bit gaunt in the frame, with the new additions of stress greying in his hair, the mechanical prosthesis and the scarred over slash across his nose.  

 

This was real?  Ryou opened his mouth for a moment and then closed it, repeating the action a couple times before he repeated the action again, bringing his hand to his eye, trying to wipe away stray tears.  No, he wasn't going to cry.  No, no, no no...  "I...I've been looking for you--I..."  He sputtered, quickly realizing that he wasn't at a full 100%.   Still tired, still full of compressed and compacted emotions that were squeezing out like a halved golf ball.  Takashi reached forward and put a hand on Ryou's shoulder, setting off the cascade of bottled up sobs and choked sounds.   "W-We thought you were dead, a-and...!"   He sobbed, more and more spilled past his lips as he let out more and more emotion.  "I d-don't know where we are, a-and we're far from ho-home..."  Ryou blubbered, wincing as he wiped the tears off his face.  

 

"We're a lot closer to home than you think, you know..."  Katie finally chirped, jerking a thumb to one of the open bay windows.  Quickly turning around, he could see nothing but the wide blue and green orb that was home.  "We could go back at any time.  We just thought it'd be a good idea to rest here a bit."  

 

"How did...What about the flying lion?  Why aren't you back yet?  Your families are worried about you!"   Looking back to the five of them, there was a deafening sound.  It was like a laser firing in the distance, but so much louder.  Whipping his head back to the windows, there were a fleet of ships attacking Earth.  They were like nothing he had ever seen before, but one look warned him that they didn't mean well.  

 

"We gotta go!  Get to the escape pods,"  Takashi instructed, ushering the students off quickly before looking to Ryou.  "I have to go--I have to get the others to safety, and I have so much I have to explain-- I'll find you again, Ryou."  Glancing to what looked like a cockpit setup, he looked back to Ryou.  "If you stay here and shoot down the ships, You can save Earth."

 

"I just found you, though!  You can't leave?!  Where are you going?"   This wasn't making any sense!  "What about Mom and Dad?!  What about Matt?!"  

 

Takashi looked taken aback, glancing to the window again.  "The more you hesitate, the more human lives are being taken--Please!"  Slowly backing away from the other, he looked remorseful.  Ryou couldn't comprehend what was going on at this point, torn between saving many lives and trying to make it out alive with five others.  

 

As the sounds grew louder and the lights grew blindingly bright, he watched as his home crumbled and spat smoke.  The sound of screams almost burst his eardrums, and the crushing anxiety fell on his chest, making his heart thud in his ears along with the other noise.  Squeezing his eyes shut, he covered his ears and tried to block out the sound.  Another deafening note filled his head.  Screaming.  Someone was screaming.  His lungs were burning, and his own sound didn't register for a hot minute until he quickly bolted, scrambling for something to grab onto.  Blankets surrounded him, and in the midst of his panic, he rolled off the bedding and brought himself into the nearest corner, holing himself up so that he could breathe.  

 

His chest heaved, and tears kept falling from his eyes in big rolling dots, collecting at his chin before dripping onto the suit he was wearing.  Black in color with purple accents, and some sort of node that stuck out a bit too far to be comfortable.  Counting his breaths, he tried to process what had just happened.  Was it a dream?  A different reality?  Was that really Takashi?  It was so real--He could feel everything--he was there.  Running his hands through his hair, he rubbed at his scalp and closed his eyes, hoping to at least get himself into a state of calm, or at least something like that.  

 

He couldn't care less about the eyes on him, or the slowly approaching figures that had been watching him the entire time.  The masks they wore glowed softly in his peripheral vision.  "You're not in any danger.  What you just experienced was a virtual reality that you created.  You desire to find your comrades."  One of the figures crouched down to Ryou's level, putting a hand to their face and clicked off the bright mask.  Under the hood and behind the mask, there were yellowed eyes and a nearly human-looking face, but not quite.  Purple-blue skin and various small markings around golden iris-less eyes made it certain that the being in front of him wasn't human.  

 

Looking at the beings in front of him, they had all taken off their masks to show the wide array of characters they had to offer.  Some looked more human, some did not. Others were too big to be anything but that.  "Who the hell are you?  Where the hell is my ship?"  

 

One of them muttered something about one of the words not translating well, but the one in front of Ryou hardly faltered.  "I am Moro, leader of this small outpost.  Your ship has been compromised, and it's unusable.  Although, the artificial intelligence on the ship survived, along with your personal belongings and data on the ship."   Moro stated, looking the other over once more.  "We've taken care of your wounds, and since you've been deemed no threat to us, I'd like to offer you hospitality."  

 

Hospitality?  Ryou was far from home with no recollection of where he was.  He was in no condition to deny or reject such an offer, but at the same time--  "You went through my head with this thing--"   He hissed, tugging at the fabric of the suit.  "Without permission!  You're a bunch of aliens!"   

 

"Technically, you're the alien to us."  Another from the back said, tilting their head to look at him with a kohl lined stare.  "There haven't been humans this far out for a long time."  It had only been a few years, but it was long enough to warrant that there wasn't anyone like him for lightyears.  

 

Still, Ryou pursed his lips into a thin line and looked over them all one last time before pulling his knees close to his chest.  Moro sighed lightly, letting a bit of his dry, sarcastic nature out.  "You're really not in any position to decline to our hospitality.  You've got no craft, no weapons, and no skill to survive in a place like this.  You don't know what you've gotten yourself into, human."  Moro said sharply, narrowing his eyes at the other.  "If you truly want to live and find your friends, you may want to consider residing with us."

 

Deep down, Ryou knew that this being in front of him was right, and that he hadn't any resources to expend out here.  Heaving a heavy sigh, he hung his head.  "You really have a point."  

 

"Well, yeah.  You kinda burnt up your ship with that last jump you made."  The familiar voice of Toto came across one of the speakers, and the AI's face flickered across one of the screens.  "I told you that you shouldn't have made that jump."   Toto shrugged, wearing a bit of a smug expression.  At least something familiar came out of this...  "You've got a lot to catch up on, Ryou.  You've been out for two days, after all."  

 

"Two days..."  He hadn't contacted the Garrison in two days.  They probably already assumed that he was dead by now.  Looking back up as Moro offered him a hand, he gently took it and was pulled up to his feet.  "I've got to take care of some things while we catch up--I'll explain why I'm here in a bit more detail as soon as--"   Cut off by the loud gurgle of his stomach, there was no hindrance in the realization that Ryou was starved.  

 

"As soon as you're properly nourished, then you can tell us about your mission."  Moro instructed.  "You won't be any help to yourself or others if you're not taking care of your body."  Again, another good point.  "I promise you, that you're lucky that you were found by us."  

 

Nodding a bit, Ryou looked over them all, furrowing his brows as he took in their features.  It still felt like a dream.  This couldn't be real, right?  This...this was the thing that he least expected, let alone anticipated to happen to himself.  But, here he was.  Alive, a bit worse for wear, and in the base of a bunch of aliens that offered to take him in.  

 

Maybe he was doing better than he thought.


	4. Chapter 4

Ryou still was reeling from what he had seen.  How...How had he been faked out like this...?  It honestly felt like he was cheated out of a simple and easy way out of it all.  Softly sighing as he leaned over a bowl of steaming...whatever the viscous goop was in his bowl.  Sighing heavily, he stirred the warm mess with the spork he was given, soaking up the warmth.  His clothes had been replaced with that of the Marmorans, but it was all a bit big on him.  What should have been tight fitting, was rather loose.  Even their smallest member was bigger than Ryou.  Most of them were sitting at different points of the long table that seemed to be held together with bits of scrap metal.  Wherever this place was...It was seemingly falling to pieces.  

 

"I'm still rather upset that you dug through my head."   Ryou looked up from his bowl, glancing idly at the communicator that sat by the earthenware piece.  Toto was idling, taking in information from the base itself.  They had allowed him to look into the intel they had, where they were, coordinates... And Toto confirmed: They were a long way from home.  

 

"My apologies, but we'd rather not have someone infiltrate and become a threat to us.  Our society is already under a great bit of stress and scrutiny as it is."   Moro replied, his hands folded in front of him as he watched Ryou.  "The one you referred to as 'Takashi'...He is a..."   It was almost a moment of silence as Moro looked for the word he was trying to think of.  

 

"He's my brother."   Ah, brother.  Not litter mate.  

 

Moro nodded, casting a look to D'Yarro, then to Ryou.  "I've been told that one of our own has seen one who looks like you.  He was able to escape before he knew the fate of the human gladiator."  

 

There was another soft pause, then Mink spoke.  "I didn't realize humans could make more than one at a time.  And you're not a clone?"   

 

They seemed a bit more interested in how Ryou and Takashi looked similar.  Sure, the Galra had the same thing--when creating more lives was a more natural process, those carrying the children could have larger litters at a time.  (Ryou quickly decided that most Galra were 'space cats'-- this only made the impression of the Galra a bit more strange.)  

 

"Yes and no--It's...It's a complicated thing."   Not really-- A fertilized embryo split and created two of the same egg, and then went from there.  Simple.  Sticking the spork back into the bowl, Ryou let out a soft sigh and looked them over again.  "Either way, you know why I'm here, and who I'm looking for.  I'd appreciate all the help I can get at this point."  

 

"We don't have much to offer as is."  D'Yarro spoke, his tone deep and rumbling.  "We're one of the smallest, farthest outposts from anywhere.  We're surviving on scraps much like you were in your tiny ship."  Re-crossing his arms over his chest, those wide bat-like ears folded back with annoyance.  "Not to mention, letting you go may put us in danger.  If the Empire were to find you, they'd pick farther into your head and scramble everything from the inside."   

 

Fir seemed to wince and bare her teeth a bit, looking at D'Yarro like he was laying it on too thick.  "What he's trying to say is,"  She chimed.  "You could be the starting point to a breech of information.  The Blade of Marmora works under cover, and secretively as a resistance to the current Empire."  

 

"Alright, I get that, but what...What's the status of your politicians?   Just...Tell me what's going on."  Honestly, this was more confusing than Earth history could ever be.  

 

"It's older than all of us, so we've only read about it form old texts and the like.  But, we've been told that thousands of years ago, the Galra Empire and a race known as the Alteans, among others, lived peacefully, side by side.  One day, on the home planet of the Galra, there was a calamity.  A massive meteor with origins unknown struck the planet."   Moro pulled up a few photos on one of the holo screens, showing off what the crater and the aftermath looked like.  Ryou looked over the screen, text running up and down the sides.  It was too fast to read (even if it wasn't in Earth English), and even then, the results were catastrophic.  "From the meteor, they made a infallible weapon that was to serve for the good of the universe.  They called it 'Voltron'."

 

"That didn't last long, though."  Mink scoffed, rolling their eyes.  Moro didn't seem too happy that they interrupted his narrative, but kept quiet.  "Zarkon took the weapon for himself--Or at least he tried to, anyways."

 

"Not quite, but it's about the same idea."   Moro furrowed his brow, heaving another sigh as he went on.  "After Zarkon's passing, along with his wife, Daibazaal was evacuated and destroyed.   It...gets a bit strange from there on out."  

 

Swiping through photos on the holo screen, there was one of all the five original paladins, all differing in shape and size.  Looking back to Moro, Ryou looked more interested than confused.  "How so?  It's not like he didn't die...right?  That comet must have had cosmic radiation or something--He should..."   Looking back to the photo, he shook his head.  "He should have been burned to bits--Just cosmic dust in the wind."  

 

"He's still alive."   D'Yarro breathed lowly, his mouth in a thin line, yet his lip curled at the idea of Zarkon.  "Zarkon came back with a vendetta against the Alteans.  Destroyed their planet, killed their royals and nobles.  Murdered his own allies and friends in cold blood.  From then on, he was more interested in conquering every planet, every meteor or bit of dust floating around in the universe."  

 

"He's warped, twisted.  And those he puts into power, be it them fighting their way to the top, or by blackmailing and murdering other officers out of their positions, they're just as cruel and unusual as they are.  Depleting resources of those in need, enslaving other races, abducting others to fight in a stacked ring for fun."   D'Yarro hissed, baring his teeth.   Hatred consumed him for a brief moment, a resounding slam filled the room, leaving a dent in the wall and his fist bruised.  "The Galra Empire is rotten to the core, and there's many more like him, growing from that single evil seed."  

 

"That's why we resist.  It's why we've banded together in an effort to bring down a corrupt system and regain some sort of peace among the people."  Moro explained, grabbing Ryou's attention back from D'Yarro.  "We're small as it is.  And this universe isn't safe.  If the Galra were to catch you, or anyone else you know of, they'd happily throw you in a ring with nothing more than a small knife against someone or something three times larger than yourself.  Just to watch you squirm and die."  

 

"They'd probably bet what  color your blood is or how many lungs you have.  Make clones for fun and throw them out as well."   Mink added.  

 

It was becoming rather clear that staying with this group was the best idea.  Biting the inside of his lip, he looked back down to the holo screen, which displayed old texts that looked to depict some giant mechanical man.  "I really don't have any choice, hunh?"   Ryou laughed dryly for a moment, passing the small screen back to Moro.  "I've only got so much information on my end to share.  But, I have seen what I think might be Voltron."  Tapping Toto's screen, the AI snapped from it's information binge.  "Pull up the footage of the blue lion."  

 

"On it."  The communicator's small screen was nothing compared to what Moro had, but the Marmoran took the communicator gingerly, looking over the screen.  "This was taken on Earth."  

 

The others leaned in and came close to watch.  Mink's ears perked up, as did D'Yarro's.  Fir's jaw dropped, and Moro beamed.  "That's only one part of it.  The Blue Lion of Voltron..."   Snapping his head up to look at Ryou, Moro looked a bit unnerved.  "There's no doubt that the Empire will surely pick up on this...I have to send record of this to the higher ups..."  

 

Snatching the communicator back, Ryou held up a finger.  "On one condition.  My brother is with that Blue Lion.  If we can find and track Voltron, I could have a chance to fulfill my mission I was sent to complete."  

 

"I don't see why you're demanding things, human.  You're not even a part of the Blade of Marmora."  Mink narrowed their eyes at Ryou, crossing their arms in front.  

 

"We help all whom oppose the empire,"   Fir argued, an ear twitched under the headdress she wore, and her tail swished behind her.  

 

"It doesn't mean I can't join...right?"  Ryou queried.  

 

"You're only a few weeks in and you're asking to join a resistance against an empire that you know near nothing about."   Toto commented, sarcasm dripping from his tone.  "Smart, Ryou."

 

"It's the only chance I've got to find Takashi and make sure my home isn't destroyed by the Galra."  Ryou said firmly, pursing his lips.  "It's the only thing I can do."  

 

... ..- -.-. -.-. . ... ... 

 

"I really don't see what Moro sees in him.  He let in an outsider to our ranks.  That's less rations for the rest of us as well."  Mink huffed loudly as they sparred with the battered dummy they had fabricated.  Fir was training with a bo staff, her scarf pulled a bit tighter around her head.  Even if she was non-combat, it still didn't hurt to practice fighting.  

 

"It's a chance to get an outside opinion about the war itself, Mink.  It's a chance to get a fresh look about everything."   Fir stopped short, shifting her weight between their padded paws.  "And maybe the human has something else to offer.  D'Yarro is talking to others to see if maybe Ryou's brother is the Champion."  Fir could never handle the battles that the empire televised, and most the time, it hurt her heart.  The signals only came in sometimes, bouncing off meteors and shrapnel circling the planets they were hiding in.  

 

Mink slammed their fists against the dummy, swinging the weighted gloves off their hands.  "We don't need an outsider's perspective!   Especially one who's so out of practice and--and...So fleshy and weak!"  Mink hissed through their teeth, glaring at their teammate.  "We don't need another case of Ari and Beau.  You're going to get attached.  You're going to try and dote on him, and baby him."   Mink took a couple steps closer, while Fir's expression hardened.  "You're going to treat him like a _kitten_ , and it'll absolutely break you if he _dies_."

 

"We'll just have to train him so he doesn't, then."   Fir's voice rasped as she spoke, poking the end of the bo staff to Mink's shoulder, making them take a pace back. 

 

Farther down from the training room, Ryou and Toto were still scrubbing through information, making more and more patches in the Galra to English translations, and filling in Moro on their work.  D'Yarro was resting against one of the walls, keeping watch over his supervisor.  

 

"Earth doesn't have any idea what's going on past the asteroid belt, do they?"  Moro looked over the information that Ryou presented, slightly mouthing the words as he read. Up close like this, Ryou could see faint outlines where irises should rest, and a bit of a discoloration where pupils would be.  D'Yarro's eyes were a solid yellow compared to Moro's.  The only one who seemed to have more 'human' eyes was Mink, and they didn't seem too fond of Ryou.  

 

"Afraid not.  I can make a relay back to Earth and warn them, but I'm not sure if that would do any good.  They probably assume I'm dead at this point."  

 

"You should be."  Toto added, having put to sleep the image of himself from the communicator, as it was taking up too much processing power.  "If the ship were any more compromised, your brain would have turned into a pancake at the back of your skull."   

 

A bit of a gory resemblance, but none the less...Toto was right.  He pulled a dangerous stunt, and he was incredibly lucky to be in this situation.  It was, by far, the best case scenario as of now.  "Still, I need to make some sort of contact so that they know I'm alive.  I don't...I don't want them to give up hope on me.  I don't want to--" 

 

"Be dead to them?"  Moro asked, looking up from the screen he was gazing over.  "I understand that, but you'd still be putting us at risk.  If we go under, there's a chance that the Empire could find Earth as well.  I know that you're on your own mission, but at this point in time, you also have to think about your allies."  

 

Moro had a point.  "You can't help them if you're putting many others at risk.  Sometimes, you have to think about giving things up in order to better the outcome."   It was surprising that D'Yarro spoke up, as he had been rather quiet.  "Keeping your home in the dark is the best thing you can do for them right now.  You tell them about this, they'll panic."  

 

Pursing his lips, Ryou leaned back in the chair a bit.  "So, play dead for a while, poke around, go off the radar for a bit."   He huffed, shrugging his shoulders.  "Let my parents live happy with no sons and a lump sum."  

 

Moro sighed heavily like an exhausted adult trying to comfort a child.  "Ryou, you're making this out to be the worst outcome in the universe."

 

"You could be in a Galra work camp.  Or in the Gladiator Ring.  Or a science experiment."   Toto added, blinking up a little chart.  "Your heart rate is up--Are you--"  

 

"Of course, I'm _stressed_.  I'm literally--I just-- I'm not _any_ closer to finding my brother, I'm sure that my file back at the Garrison is put in the 'lost in space, probably dead' bin, and nobody knows what the hell is going on out here!"   Ryou hissed, banging a fist on the table.  "I can't do anything out here!  You all said that you'd help as much as you could, a--"  

 

D'Yarro wasn't having any of the human's tantrum.  Moro looked upon him with a blank expression, while the other strode over and picked Ryou up by the back of his shirt.  The smaller human squirmed and yelped, trying to wriggle out of his grip.  "Don't be so ungrateful.  It's not the code of conduct for us to dispose of refugees and those seeking help.  Following the rules isn't my strong suit, human.  If you think this is bad, I'll happily show you what it's like to be in the ring."   The cold stare of D'Yarro's blank eyes turned Ryou's center into ice.  Slowly, he stopped wriggling around, focused on trying to keep the collar of his shirt from cutting at his neck.  "I'd suggest that for now, you keep your head down, and do your part.  Pain is relative.  I know it hurts to be in this situation, but your compliance is important."   He growled.  "Are we clear?"

 

It took Ryou a moment to muster up words, and even then, he opened and closed his mouth like a fish.  "We...We're clear."   He replied softly, and with that, he was slowly lowered down into his chair again, met with a large hand on top of his head.   

 

"As soon as we can determine a safe way of communication, I'm sure that we can send a message to your home.  But until then, we need to trust that you'll stay quiet for the time being."   Moro added.  There was a look of empathy with him, and it became very, very clear that they were truly concerned with Ryou's fate.  They genuinely cared?   Not just for themselves, but for him, too.  "You're one of us, even if it's not by the same means as we went through.  Regardless, in the meantime, you'll have to learn to give and take what is given to you."     

 

Ryou was almost beyond words for a moment, trying to process what was being said.  The monitor on Toto's screen slowed down, going from that distressed state to a normal-looking calm rhythm.  Without words or a voice for the time being, Ryou nodded along, finally understanding the situation and why he couldn't 'phone home' at the moment.  "I understand..."

 

"Good.  I'm glad that we've come to terms with this, and I'm satisfied to know that you're compliant."  Moro nodded, lifting himself from the chair to rest a hand on D'Yarro's shoulder.  "Sooner or later, we'll have to discuss the idea of starting training for you, Ryou.  There's been humans before, but they...They were a lot different from you and your situation."   

 

"I suggest that Ryou gets some sleep.  He's showing signs of fatigue and--"   Toto cut out a bit early, effectively hushed by one of Ryou's fingers.  

 

"I know, I know..."   He murmured in response, rubbing the side of his face idly.  "I know I'm tired."

 

"It's been a long day, considering.  You're out of your element."  Moro slid past D'Yarro, closing down the screen from the ramshackle table as he moved.  "I'll show you to your room, and you may sleep as long as you need to."

 

"I just got man handled by a giant space feline.  I don't know how well I'll be able to sleep."  Ryou scoffed, arching a brow at Moro as he rose from his seat.  "No hard feelings, right?"  

 

D'Yarro simply narrowed his eyes and snorted, curling up one side of his lip in annoyance.  Moro glanced back at him, then to Ryou.  "That's essentially the best reassurance you'll get for now."   Waving the other along, Ryou followed closely, still dwarfed ever so slightly by Moro.  "I'd be best if you not taunt him as you do.  He's been through more than you can imagine, Ryou."  

 

"Yeah?"  He really didn't want to think too far into it, because to him, this situation as it was seemed worse.  

 

"You've seen what your sibling has gone through in the gladiator ring, no?  Imagine that, but instead of your 'Takashi' fighting, he had to watch you be torn limb from limb."  Moro's tone went for the more grim and gravely.  "He's come a long way from where he had been, but indigence for the blessings in life,"   Moro stopped in front of Ryou, turning to face him at the turn of his heel.  "He'll be quick to show you that it could be much, much worse."  

 

Ryou was starting to get the feeling that D'Yarro and Moro worked hand in hand, almost like parents.  After all, Moro _was_ the leader here, and D'Yarro his right hand man.  Simply staying quiet as he nodded along, Moro let loose some of the tense muscles in his being, punching in a code for the door.  "This room hasn't been used for a while, so consider it yours for now.  If you find anything in here, please bring it to myself, or anyone else."  

 

"This was someone else's room before?"

 

"Of course.  We have people coming and going here, it's not uncommon that those passing through leave things.  Personal items, trinkets..."   Moro noted that the air in the room was a bit stale.  They must have closed off the vents for some reason.  "Make yourself at home.  We'll try to find some clothing that fits you in the meantime, but until then, I hope that you're at least somewhat comfortable."   

 

Stepping into the room, even Ryou's dull human senses had a bit of unease, if not 'on edge' feeling in this room.  Not different from when he left one of his projects on all night.  The electricity coursing through it made for all sorts of weird happenings.  "I'll be fine for now..."  Moro held out a little item to him, it looked like a key ring with a little sensor chip hanging off of it.  "Keys?"  

 

"Since you don't have the interfacing we have in our gloves and the like, I'm giving you a temporary key.  This will get you into your room, the main hall, and the bathing room.  We usually run on our own routines, so it'd be better if you melded yours to ours."   

 

"That...Sounds reasonable."   Not feeling in the mood to look at any alien genitals, he was a bit grateful for the warning.  "I'll see you in the morning, then.  Er..."   Looking out one of the windows behind Moro, he gave a bit of a sheepish look.  "Or...Whenever."  

 

Seeming to like that bit of humor, Moro's stern expression cracked a bit, a small smile curled at the corner of his mouth.  "Regardless, we'll all still be here when you wake.  Toto, on their own free will, has decided to help with managing data and the like, but they'll be contactable if and when you need them.  In the meantime, I bid you good night."   Stepping back, Moro let the door shut in front of him, leaving Ryou in the room to his own devices.  

 

Hearing the sound of footsteps walking away from the room, he pulled out his communicator and sighed, tossing it to the bed as he hobbled over and plopped himself down.  The sheets were clean, at least.  The room was a bit dusty, but it almost looked lived in.  Might as well do some exploring, right?  It was already pretty stuffy in there, so the vents were opened rather quickly.  A quick look under the bed yielded a book--Galra, a couple chopsticks(?), and a lone dust bunny. 

 

For now, nothing seemed to really be of interest, or rather, nothing needed to be shown to any of his new Galra friends.  Peeling off the loose clothing, he shook out the sheets of dust and debris, fluffed the pillow a couple times and laid himself to rest.  The bedding wasn't as soft as he thought it would feel after a long day like this.  Everything vaguely smelled of dust and cologne.  Who even lived here before him?  Huffing softly as he absently 'clapped out' the lights (Which to his surprise, actually worked) and tried to relax. 

 

As soon as he could, he'd contact his home, make sure the Garrison knew he was alive, he was well, and that he was continuing on with the search.  Maybe there were other Galra like this whom had insight on where Takashi and the missing students might be.  Maybe they _knew_ where they were.  They were already hiding something, Ryou knew that much.  He couldn't put all his trust in them all at once.  That would be stupid.  Figuring that he had to play differently from here on out, he had a new rule.  

 

Trust no-one.  

-. . ...- . .-.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If this chapter seems like it's kinda choppy, it's that way because I started it a while ago, got writer's block, and then ended up finishing it about now. ^^ I'm trying to get back into the swing of things, and with me being off for the summer, I've got some time to kill. (Naps aren't good at cutting up time, tbh.) 
> 
> Regardless, thanks for the support, you guys! Really appreciate your love for my writing! (You're so nice-- ;w; )


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